The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-10-05

I AEErHOE. and Nh
the University afterwards abandous this
and claims for losses by the Fund. then he
State Is entitled to all her rights 10 rpeet
that view of the case.
liable shows the results of pavnsn.s
and interest, under the assumption bv the
state OF the amount as recommended bx
Gov Brown, lost in the Planters Bank.
rms shows an over payment to the Uniyer-
sity at Oxford of S67S, ,SS9.40.
PASSAGE OF rHE ACT OF 1850.
We come now 10 the last scene of all 50.
| this strange, eventfnl history Noturitb-
| standing the just and true debt of the stat
had been fully paid, overpaid by sS77. .2s5.-
notwithstanding the States appropri-
! ations to the University, made on the faith
of her non-liabilIty for any part of the
I fund which had not gone into her Treasury
| amounted TO a sum more than sufficient TO
pay the whole of the sum collected and up-
collected IN the Planters Bank stock. and
the notes of the insolvent purchasers and
3 per cent. interest thereon notwithstand-
ing the amount actually Acknowledged by
the State was larger than the true value of
all the Seminary lands. and the amount ac-
| tually paid by the State with simple inter
est thereon was four times as large as the
/ just value of these lands and interest on
| this value Notwithstanding the good faith
OF the Legislature in making the sales and
Investments, the University, public cor
poratiOn subject to the control and will of
| the Legislature, mere servant and instru-
| ment of the people. to do their work for
fthem and legally liable at any time TO be
destroyed by the people and another agent
| and servant substituted in its stead, in the
eventful year 1850, again set up the claim
| adjudicated and condemned by the Legis-
| latuFe of 1856, which adjudication had
| been scquIesced IN by all subsequent Leg
| lslatues. whole generation had passed ;
tbs war had iutervened with all its crush
ing ealamities the books of the Treasury
| and of the Auditors Office were in many
| instances lost. The memory of the few
survivors of the era of 1886 had, by the ter
rlble events of war and of subsequent
reconstruction, mis-called peace, failed
| as 10 transactions taking place before the
war. Only one man, Hon A. Il. Carter,
was in the Legislature of 1880 who had
| served in the Legislature of 1856. except
| Hon. j. W Downs, who, with 81 others, is
marked as "absent and not voting on
| thE Act of 1880. All these things
were favorable to a resurrection of
the original claim. And it was re-
| surrected. Not, as / believe, with the
| knowledge of its injustice, but because
that knowledge had faded away. 1t was
found that the illustrious and honored
| names of John j. McRae and Jacob Thomp-
son had sanctioned it in the papers l have
referred to. 1t was found, also, that the
Legislature in 1858 and in 1860 had passed
resolutions for an investigation of this
fund. which, though recognizing no liabil-
ity, and admitting no fact which would con
stitute a liability. and though unacted on
and not pressed when further investigation
would have shown the utter falsity of the
claim, yet gave support to the idea that an
investigation might bring something tc
light So, as | have said, the claim was
presented. A resolution was passed on the
18th of January, directing the joint com
| mittee on the University ito investigate
the condition of and take an account OF
what is known as the Seminary Fund, and
report without delay" (See II. j., p. ls6.,
rBE MEMORIAL OF THE TRUSTEES.
On February 6, a memorial signed by 6
committee of the Trustees, was presented
| to the Senate, and referred to the Commit
J tee on Universities. This memorial should
be read by every one. 1t is unequaled il
its eloquence, in its ingenuity, and th'
skill with which it presents the claims o
| the University. 1t is unparalleled, too, il
| the skill in which 1T presents claim of
debt without indicating its amount, or tn
data on which it rested. 1t omitted all re
ference to the report of Gov. McRae an
Mr.. Thompson, and of the methods b
which they arrived at their conclusions
1t appears from Mr Howry's letter { E1
hibit F. here appended, these papers wer
deemed important in establishing the deb
| The Evacutiva (foTprnTt4ap Of fha Roa rH Z
Trustees had, in 1879, the year befor
printed pamphlet in which, among oth'
things, the message and the report, and IL
schedule before referred to, were containe,
1t is plainly inferable from the letter
Hon. c. B. Howry, that the message of Go
McRae and report of Mr.. Thomson wei
then regarded as proper bases for the ca
culation. The Trustees, however, pushe
with vigor the great claims of the Unive
sity, to the support of the people of Il
State; sketched its splendid history and Il
great future before it; compared its final
cial resources with other Colleges shove
how rich other Colleges were. They spoil
of the great services the University ha
rendered in producing dintinguishe
Congressman, judges, clergymen, plan
ers, physicians and prominent and usefI
citizens throughout our State, including, {
she Is proud to claim, large number {
your own distinguished body" Havin
this put the Legislature in good hume
with itself, they proceeded to make tt
members of that aesthetic body fall in loy
with the University itself, by referrin
with eloquent enthusiasm to the twelve brio
edifices of the University, its beautiful "can
pus and ornate grounds tastefully laid off j
handsome walks, ornamented with eve
green shrubbery and shaded by native fore
oaks" They then came to business Il
University ''NEEDs AN INCREASE OF REVENUE
They conclude they want $4,000 yea
and certainly not less than 100000" The
want the University put on a PERMANES
FINANCIAL Basis so as to relieve 1t frol
suspense and uncertainty, and enable it
give permanent positions and salaries, an
take it out of politics, and remove it frol
all influence tending to servility, and fire
it from the attacks of its enemies and frol
misguided ignorance and unreasonin
prejudice.
They suggest that the State will doubtle
keep up the University, and with MONEY an
ask, docs it therefore matter to the Sta
whether the money be called 'appropri
tons or INTEREST,"" They say it is cle'
from the law that the State does owe Il
|
limited at, nor is anything said of pa
ments. They also assert that the Sta
, is to-day out of debt, except to h
University, and that the sums they as
are not only necessary but smaller ths
many other similar institutions hav
They quote from Prof. Huxley and Ge
Smith, encomiums on University Ed
cation, and conclude by an appeal
the Legislature "for that liberal financi
support which will enable the University
become at no distant day the intellectu
J focus of the State, the centre of free j
, quiry, the crown of our educational sy
TEN, the pride and glory of our people, al
a seat of learning whose renown shall a
tract crowds from all parts of the earth,
did Cambridge, Bologna and Oxford
) old" What all this had to do about Il
settlement and payment of A DEBT. CO
fess / am unable to see. 1t was, howeve
most appropriate in persuading that Il
l needs of the University viz AN INCREASE {
; REVENUE. should be formulated into de-
, whereon interest should be paid
OF course, under the persuasive inf
ence of this matchless paper, the Ell
sought was easily obtained. The Legisi
| ture having been informed that the Sta
owed nobody but her own University tti
fact being she owed to great many gre
deal, but nothing to her University ),-th
t voluntary appropriations" and ''interes
f on an acknowledged debt were the same
{ substance to the State. and that in the f
: ture, we were to have on our soil this cent
! of free inquiry; this crown of our educ
t tional system, this pride and glory of o.
} people, this intellectual focus attractlr
crowds from all parts of the earth, to leal
what could be learned nowhere else, act
} speedily and promptly. 1t is unnecessal
so far as those who know my relations
I that Committee of the Board of Trustee
are concerned, for me to state that in the
comments on their memorial. mean /
reflection on them. One of them, and tn
one who first signed it, has been for mar
, years, and is now, one of my most intima
. | and trustad friends From a long and i